DANGEROUS CHEMICALS

Not wishing to denegrade any of what you have said, I thinkit's probably fair to say that you are more likely to be killed or injured travelling by train, and that's one of the safest forms of transport.

I've heard of just one modeller (in the USA) passing away from his modelling activities. He was a professional painter and was using some paint on a daily basis. Not sure what chemical it incorporated, but it was regarded as fairly toxic and has subsequently been withdrawn from memory.

John.

John,

The problem I find with some statements about the use of chemicals in our hobby is that the people making the statements will not give a statement of the practical limits of use of chemicals. What exactly does 25 parts per million mean in real terms, and how long is one supposed to be exposed to any level greater than 25 parts per million to cause damage to themselves.

I remember getting into an argument with a contributor to another mailing list when talking about the problems associated with heating cyanoacrylate adhesives. I have used these adhesives to hold small pieces on a mandrel in a lathe for turning, then have broken the bond by heating the mandrel to get the piece off. The other contributor said that this was an unsafe method and should never be used. I asked how much cyanoacrylate adhesive had to be heated over what period to start causing problems. I never got an answer from him. But I did ask around other sources and found that the dangers of heating a small drop of cyanoacrylate sufficient to hold a small scale wheel on an 1/8" shaft would not generate enough fumes in the average workshop to cause a problem. I scratchbuild my wheels and the amount of this type of work would be measured as one wheel per month if I'm lucky :-)

I think most people in the hobby are aware of working in a well ventilated space when using any chemical. I have used Plastic Weld when building C&L track and I try to make sure that the room doesn't reek of the chemical and I keep my nose away from the bottle and the brush as far as is possible. I haven't suffered any ill effects over the last six years of building C&L track.

I believe that MEK is also a 'dangerous' chemical. I've used it with Plastikard for about 40 years and I'm still here and not suffering any ill effects, probably because my cumulative exposure to the chemical is quite low since I take heed of the need for ventilation, and my time using the chemical for my hobby is not really that great.

Most of these chemical warnings are to protect people in their place of work where the volumes of chemical used and the time people are exposed to them are very much greater than would normally be achieved by a hobbyist at home.

Jim.

Out of interest, do any of the glue or paint manufactures etc. supply 'Haz-chem' type data sheets for their hobby products, if they do then the risks will be real, if not then the risks will be minor when used as a hobby product I suspect.

Of course, we should all beware of Dihydrogen Oxide, which we are exposed to frequently, and which can be lethal. Regards, Bill.

Don't be such a wet blanket.

R.

Or they're just covering their a***s.

MBQ

I believe that MEK in the eyes is not good, it oxidises the tissue and bliindness results. Most people of course are careful about sloshing the stuff around, but don't flick some off the brush. Mike in Bitish Columbia

"Michael Gray" wrote

Unleaded petrol isn't much fun either, I can assure you - ever had that spit back at you when filling your car (or motorcycle when it happened to me).

John.

Best antidote for that is to take it with twice its volume of peat flavoured ethyl alcohol.

Ken.

If you want chemical safety information on MEK, etc., you can get it at

Links are available for a wide range of chemicals, and also to web pages that explain some of the terminology.

Bevan